AV Research
Audioholics tech articles are well researched and chock full of great detail on how products and technologies operate. Our staff of electrical and acoustical engineers, combined with industry expert guest writers ensures you're getting a true AV education when researching all topics from HDTV, cables, room acoustics, loudspeakers, amplifiers and all things related to audio and video technologies.
Spears & Munsil NEW Ultra HD Calibration Disc Has Pop Up Help

Spears & Munsil released their NEW 2023 Ultra High Definition calibration Blu-ray disc series to help installers and home theater enthusiasts calibrate their displays for the best possible picture.
Trinnov Strikes Back at Dirac with New ‘Active Acoustics’ Technology

Shortly after Dirac announced Dirac Live Active Room Treatment, Trinnov has responded with its own announcement: a groundbreaking “active acoustics” technology that promises similar results! Read on.
Dirac Live Active Room Treatment: One Giant Leap for Room EQ, Coming Spring ‘23

Dirac is set to revolutionize with Live Active Room Treatment Spring of 2023. Utilizing ALL of your speakers, ART spatially optimizes your system for every seat, reducing the need for passive room treatments.
Dolby Atmos Best Speaker Setup Practices In the Home

The inner workings of Dolby Atmos and how best to set up your home theater with the right number of speakers for a successful Atmos experience, common mistakes and misconceptions are all revealed.
History of Surround Sound Processing: The Battle for Dolby Pro Logic II

This is a historical perspective on 6-Axis surround originally developed by Jim Fosgate (who recently passed away) and how it battled Harman's very own Logic 7 format to become Dolby Pro Logic II.
Sennheiser Powers New Spatial Audio Experience on Netflix

Netflix now has Spatial Audio for subscribers listening on two-channel devices. Sennheiser’s AMBEO Spatial Audio technology converts immersive sound formats into an enhanced version of stereo.
Is Google Hitting Dolby with Royalty‑Free Competition?

Google to launch new royalty-free 3D audio and HDR video standards. Google's motives are likely just to shore-up its own Android & YouTube platforms with upcoming enhancements rather than competing with Dolby.
THX Spatial Audio on Qobuz Listen with ANY Headphones!

Qobuz teams up with THX to deliver immersive music using proprietary THX Spatial Audio rendering. These tracks highlight THX technology to deliver “spatialized” 360-degree audio on any headphones.
Mobile Fidelity’s Digital Vinyl Debacle: Are your records really analog?

Mobile Fidelity has been caught in a lie. After years of claiming to produce pure analog vinyl, it's been revealed that the company regularly uses digital DSD transfers in the production of its remasters.
Will Dirac’s New Active Room Treatment Minimize Need for Passive Treatments?

Dirac Live is looking at Active Room Treatment to let all speakers work together to correct each other allowing you to manipulate the spatial qualities of a system and overcome acoustic problems.
Should You Use Audio Cables as Tone Controls?

Some believe that different cables lend different sounds to your system. Does that mean that you could use cables as a sort of tone control, to tweak the sound of your system? Read on to find out.
Can Active Streaming Speakers Really Replace a High‑End Stereo System?

Will hardcore audiophiles ever replace their two-channel rigs with all-inclusive active streaming speakers? These compact setups have become very popular so there’s clearly a market for them. Read on.
Auro 3D Downmixes into Bankruptcy, Still Keeping Height Channels Up

Auro 3D has recently declared bankruptcy. But is the the end for this immersive surround format? Can it survive on upmixing only? Don't count the audio company from Antwerp, Belgium out just yet.
MIT Researchers Develop Paper‑Thin Loudspeaker That Can Mount to ANY Surface

A Research team at MIT has developed a thin, flexible loudspeaker that can be mounted to any rigid surface (such as a wall), turning it into a high-quality audio source. Learn about the applications.
Is Qualcomm’s New ‘aptX Lossless’ Technology The Holy Grail of Bluetooth?

Qualcomm Technologies announced the first truly lossless Bluetooth audio codec. aptX Lossless can deliver CD-quality audio with zero loss of information. Will audiophiles finally embrace Bluetooth?
Personal Psychoacoustics: A Journey towards Great Sound & Product Development

There have been a lot of articles on psychoacoustics and the relative audibility of various acoustic phenomena. This is a personal journey towards great sound and product development.
Netflix Is Now Streaming High‑Quality AV1 Video to Select Smart TVs and Game Consoles

Netflix is streaming content via a new, more efficient video codec called AV1 which can deliver higher video quality at any given bitrate than previous codecs. Will this become the new standard?
Audyssey MultEQ‑X Room Calibration Software Goes PC

Audyssey announced the MultEQ-X PC based room correction software that works as an add-on to the MultEQ system already embedded in many AVR's. What kind of features can we expect from MultiEQ-X? Read on.
HDMI 2.1 Compliance Certification Is An Incomprehensible Swamp Of Confusion

The HDMI Licensing Admin says that new HDMI devices can be granted “HDMI 2.1 compliant” status even if they don’t support any of the features associated with the HDMI 2.1 standard. Confused? Read on.
10 Loudspeakers Trends That Should End

In this article, we go over ten things that we would like to see change within the loudspeaker industry. Read on to find out what speaker companies are doing that bugs us so much!
10 Audio Myths Debunked For Better Sound

We tackle some of the less obvious but more resilient audio myths that seem to linger despite numerous attempts at correction. We debunk the audiophile myths to help prioritize your hifi needs.
Audio Codecs Explained for Non‑Audiophiles

WAV, FLAC, MP3, MQA, what is the best audio CODEC to handle your audio files? Audioholics has put together a guide explaining these extensions and what they mean in terms of sound quality and storage.
Tidal Adds Millions Of MQA Tracks From Warner Music Group

Tidal’s library of MQA-encoded music has just grown significantly. Millions of new tracks have been added from Warner Music Group’s extensive catalog. Is MQA really better or just a gimmick? Read on.
Apple Music Lossless & Dolby Atmos: How YOU Can Enjoy Every Bit of Resolution!

Apple Music is now lossless for its entire catalogue with separate libraries streaming at high-resolution and Apple’s new Spatial Audio by Dolby Atmos. We discuss how to get the best sound.
FTC May Kill Amplifier Rule: Help Us Keep Consumer Protections in Audio!

Your country needs YOU to help protect consumers from false advertising in audio. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reviewing its "Amplifier Rule", help maintain truth in amplifier ratings today!
Polk, Definitive Technology First Speakers to Qualify IMAX Enhanced Certification

DTS and IMAX are extending their IMAX Enhanced certification to loudspeakers so consumers will know which speakers will get them closer to that IMAX experience at home. See what brands are first.